GM 48080 Description These are fundamental studies of the essential cellular process of genetic translation, emphasizing the origin and mechanism of RNA molecules in this process. The research seeks to create new RNA molecules that carry out the component steps of translation: amino acid activation, aminoacyl-RNA synthesis,peptide extension, coding, and also includes the study of the chiral selectivity of translation. These reactions are of concern to biomedical science because their accurate performance is required for the well-being of every cell, and they also provide therapeutic points of attack within pathogenic cells.